What are Good Plants for a Rock Garden?
- Sea pink is a popular rock garden flower.pink flowers and sea oats in marsh image by Jorge Moro from Fotolia.com
Rock gardens use rocks and stones to help anchor the garden to its location. Ground covers and flowers are planted between the rocks. These types of gardens can use locations that other types of gardens have problems with, such as slopes and grades. Rock gardens generally have poor soil qualities and dry conditions. - The yellow sulfur flower (Eriogonum umbellatum) is an evergreen, perennial flower that grows up to a foot tall. The flowers are small and yellow and bloom from late spring to late summer. This plant is adaptable to a range of conditions. It prefers dry to medium sandy soils and full sunlight. It is a perfect plant for a rock garden because it requires little maintenance and can tolerate drought conditions.
- Mountain alyssum (Alyssum montanum) is a perennial plant that blooms from midspring to late summer. This low-lying plant has silver gray leaves and yellow flowers. The plant prefers well-drained soils and can tolerate extreme drought conditions. Mountain alyssum grows up to 6 inches tall but can spread to 18 inches wide in a short time. It requires little care and makes an excellent ground cover.
- Sea Pink (Armeria maritima) is a perennial plant that is also referred to as sea thrift. The plant usually grows up to 12 inches tall and can spread quickly. It is a salt-tolerant plant and can grow well in low-quality soils. Sea pink has deep pink, dome-shaped flowers that bloom in the spring. It can tolerate full sunlight and is usually used as a border plant or as a dry wall planting. It requires little care to thrive.
- Snow-in-summer (Cerastium tomentosum) is a herbaceous perennial that can grow up to a foot tall. It has white flowers that bloom in the spring. The plant prefers well-drained soils and full sunlight. It cannot tolerate humidity and extreme drought. Snow-in-summer is often used as a ground cover in rock gardens or in borders. It requires little care but must not receive too much water; otherwise, it can suffer from root rot.
